Here I come with the next chapter!
As promised, here's the second of three consecutive chapters. I honestly don't have much to add, so let's go straight to the reviews:
MaxPrime: Thank you so much to you for reading this. I will never abandon one of my stories, but it's true that sometimes the chapters take a long time to come out, so many times it depends on the patience the reader can have (a very big one, indeed). I hope that when Takashi and Saeko accept each other's love it will be a moment that exceeds expectations.
With nothing more to add, it's time to begin.
Enjoy!
"¿How come I'm still alive?"
That wasn't the first time Takashi wondered what was going on. He had easily done it about three times as the minutes passed and the zombies moved around the rooftop with no definite direction. Probably the shock of the moment and the confinement he was subjected to did not allow him to think clearly.
"¿Will there be a way to get out of here alive?" Takashi's thoughts began to sort themselves out as he looked at possible escape routes, all looking impossible. "They're blocking the only two exits..." Takashi's eyes went to Saeko's katana, which was very close to his right hand. "I think the chances are minimal, but if I don't try something I'll die anyway." The protagonist concluded through gritted teeth, extending his arm as far as possible without moving the rest of his body so that the nearest zombies wouldn't notice that he was still alive.
His attempt seemed to fail miserably when a zombie's foot caught in the path of his arm, causing him to stagger and fall right in front of his face, something that terrified Takashi.
"¡Shit!" Takashi closed his eyes tightly, thinking it was the end of him.
But time passed, and nothing happened.
Takashi's eyes slowly opened, until his frightened expression changed to one of surprise. The student seemed to be looking directly at him, though his completely white and bleeding eyes indicated otherwise. The next movement he noticed also surprised him, as that thing seemed to be sniffing, or so indicated its strange nose movement.
After a few seconds, the converted student stood up somewhat wobbly and continued his aimless walk, something that surprised Takashi even more.
"¿Was he smelling me?" Was the first question that crossed the mind of the protagonist, who was quick to look at his body.
Loose ends were spun very quickly as he noticed that his body was covered in blood and viscera, which probably camouflaged him in some way.
"But if there is such a thing as camouflage..." Takashi thought, remembering the zombie's missing eyes. "¿Does that mean they can't see me?" Takashi finally picked up the katana and watched the other students in complete silence.
The pattern of all of them had been broken, something that surprised him. Now they were no longer walking, they had all stood still, as if they were waiting for something.
All except the zombie that had stumbled upon him, who was walking slowly while giving a few quiet grunts, as if he was communicating with his fellows.
"They can't see, but they can hear and smell..." Takashi used the katana to draw the case that still contained his baseball bat.
"In that case, there's still a way to escape."
The one walking zombie was pushed by the tip of the bat without warning, causing it to fall from the ceiling and end up rolling down the ducts. The sound was so loud that the others didn't hesitate for a second to pounce on him like a hungry horde. The few zombies that were upstairs next to the protagonist did not take long to pounce, so the place was already completely clear, at least up there.
Takashi took advantage of the great commotion they themselves were causing to remove the large body above him and stand up.
It didn't take much longer for the zombies to end the ruckus, something that surprised him. Slowly the melee parted by slight pushes they gave each other, revealing the student's body, which was still "alive", but one of his legs and half of his abdomen were down to the bone.
"Apparently they noticed him who was like them." Takashi thought as he watched as several of them were chewing on the flesh of their victim. "Not enough time. I have to think of something else..." Takashi thought through gritted teeth.
After debating for a few seconds, solutions seemed impossible due to the fact that they were in such a cramped place for so many individuals. The idea of banging something on the fence to make them fall down was quickly discarded, as said protective fence was really high.
As he was about to run out of ideas, he suddenly remembered the only two exits available to him.
Takashi's gaze was fixed on the emergency exit. The door was completely clear thanks to the little commotion he had generated recently. At that moment a great idea crossed his mind and he gripped the case tightly.
"I hope this works." Takashi thought, then threw the case with all his might.
The case slammed into the door leading to the normal rooftop exit. The sound was barely audible among so many grunts, so it only succeeded in making everyone completely still and silent, waiting for any other clues about possible prey nearby.
"That wasn't enough." Takashi wanted so badly to click his tongue, but he knew it wasn't a very smart idea.
His gaze went to the baseball bat, his eyes making it clear that he didn't want to lose it, as it was a great keepsake for him.
But it seemed there was no other option.
That's right, "it seemed."
Fortunately for him, he could see half of the wooden katana that had fallen next to him when those things destroyed it.
Lacking the case, Takashi placed part of the bat under the side of his pants, then bent down to pick up the halved weapon. The sad look was not long in coming, as that katana was also a treasured gift to him.
The image of Saeko flashed through his mind, that image when the two of them had been separated by the inordinate commotion.
Takashi's sad look changed to one of complete seriousness as he clutched the parted katana tightly.
"That's right, this is no time to be thinking stupid thoughts." Takashi brought his gaze back to the door, his posture slowly changing.
Now it looked like he was preparing to throw a baseball, even though he was only holding it with one hand.
Takashi closed his eyes, and everything around him went dark. For a moment he forgot that he was surrounded by former students who wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he missed this shot or if he didn't run fast enough.
Takashi's eyes widened, and the supposed ball was thrown with great force straight at the doorknob, which was dangling from how Rei had opened the door moments before.
The wood hit the doorknob with great force, causing it to snap back. But the inertia of the blow was so strong that the round knob ended up breaking, so it fell to the floor and began to roll down the stairs.
The clinking sound was heard very clearly, so those things didn't take long to react and they all rushed to the exit and started rolling down the stairs.
Takashi didn't waste a second and took a big leap down from the roof, thus starting to run towards the emergency exit.
Some zombies that hadn't made it through the door heard him. Unfortunately for them, Takashi was already too far away for them to follow him.
The image of a Takashi running through the auxiliary stairs with a triumphant smile on his face was the last they heard of him before he rejoined his friends.
"¡I'm sure they're still in the infirmary!"
_ CHAPTER 11: THE END OF THE PROMISE! _
"¿How did this happen?" Saya was the one who asked the question on everyone's mind.
There they were sitting in front of a Hisashi who was on a stretcher. His amputated arm was completely bandaged and the bleeding was completely neutralized.
"I have no idea. Miss Miyamoto-san arrived a little before you and I hadn't been able to ask her." Shizuka's comment made everyone look at the aforementioned, who was much quieter than usual.
"¿Miyamoto-san?" Hirano called out to her again, causing her to wake up from her transe.
"It was a commotion, really..." Rei's hands clenched tightly on her knees, to the point where small tears formed in her eyes.
"You're not obligated to say it." Saeko was the one who spoke this time, watching as she received a silent nod from the woman.
"I just... I'd just like to understand why he had to cut off his arm..." Rei said in a low tone, but everyone could hear her.
"¿Was there anyone else with you two?" Saya asked interested, and suddenly Rei's gaze sharpened as she looked back at Saeko.
"¡It's all your fault!" The threat made Saeko confused. "¡Not only did you make him as crazy as you are, but you're also carrying a weapon to the academy! ¡Because of you he cut off Hisashi's arm, out of simple jealousy!" Those words made the protagonist's eyes widen considerably.
"Wait, ¿are you talking about Takashi?" Saya stood up from her seat after the question, causing Rei to grit her teeth as tears fell.
"¡Of course I'm talking about him! ¿¡What other person would be capable of cutting off his friend's arm besides that crazy bitch!?" Rei pointed at Saeko.
"¿Where is he?" Saeko wasn't even affected by her words, she just wanted to know if Takashi was okay.
Those hopes plummeted as Rei lowered her head and began to cry harder.
"He... he sacrificed himself to save us..." Rei's whisper was heard by everyone, who could do nothing but remain completely silent.
There were different reactions.
Shizuka simply didn't understand what was happening, though she sensed that it was something very sad.
Saya's body was trembling with great helplessness, even her always strong face was showing a great amount of regret.
Hirano simply couldn't believe what he had just heard, his extremely bewildered face left everything in plain sight.
But...
Without a doubt, the one who was most affected was Saeko.
Her face had fallen a little. Her empty eyes were wider than ever and her lips were half-open as a dead appearance surrounded her body.
"It can't be..." The one who broke the silence was Hirano, expressing what he was feeling.
"I... it was on the rooftop..." Rei didn't know what else to say, so silence reigned again.
"That guy..." Saeko spoke, her eyes were shadowed.
"¿You mean Hisashi?" Rei asked, who still looked very sad.
"He got bitten, that's why Takashi cut off his arm." Saeko stood up abruptly, something that surprised everyone.
"Now that you mention it, it's true that he did get a small bite on his hand. But that's not enough justification for..."
"¡PLAAAAAAFF!"
The chair that Rei was in fell to the floor as a result of Saeko. Everyone was watching wide-eyed as Saeko had lifted Rei by the neck. her legs wouldn't touch the floor, all she could do was kick and try to get loose.
"¿Don't you realize that your stupid boyfriend was saved because of him?" Saeko's tone sounded very calm, so her eyes lacking soul and sympathy were even scarier, if that was possible.
"¡Gurr, hagg!" Rei tried to answer her, but only choked gasps came out of her lips.
"He saved your life, too. He gave up his life in order to get two scumbags like you out alive. And yet..." Saeko's hand clamped down on Rei's neck even more tightly, to the point that it made her spit out a lot of saliva
"Still, ¿you dare to call him crazy?"
To say that Saya and Shizuka were scared was an understatement.
Saeko's eyes indicated that she was going to kill Rei right there.
"Let's calm down, ¿shall we?" Hirano came in to try to lighten the mood, causing Saeko to give him a sidelong glance. "Believe me, I understand how you feel. But this is not a solution..." Saeko's dead eyes pierced his soul, causing the chubby boy to panic. "Please... I'm sure Takashi wouldn't like this." Those words seemed to touch something in Saeko, as her gaze softened considerably.
The woman turned her eyes to Rei, who already had a violet face by now.
Hatred returned to Saeko's face, who soon threw Rei with all her might, sending the woman crashing into a gurney and other medical apparatus.
Rei sat on the floor as best she could, coughing in pain as she rubbed her red-hot neck. Saeko didn't even give her any last words, all she did was grab her katana sheath and leave the place with a loud slamming of the door.
"Saya-chan..." Hirano commented with a dejected look.
"Let her get even." Saya didn't hesitate to reply, her eyes reflecting a clear pity towards her best friend.
Takashi's image reappeared in Saya and Hirano's mind after the trouble was over. The chubby guy just sat on the floor sadly, while his girlfriend was doing her best to hold back her tears.
Outside the infirmary, Saeko was taking out every being that dared to stand in her way. The hallway was becoming stained with blood with every step she took.
But this time she felt no pleasure.
This time she felt no joy.
Now she could only feel that big hole getting bigger and bigger inside her.
It was an emptiness that would never be filled again.
For, the only one who could fill it was now dead.
Her teeth clenched tighter, and her appearance became more and more ferocious for each victim of her abilities.
That was her way of getting even.
She knew she would never get even.
But at least her mind would be kept busy and the tears would never come.
She didn't want to scream...
She didn't want to cry...
She didn't want to break...
Even though she was already broken.
_ LINE BREAK _
Fujimi Academy
A couple of minutes later...
Saya was folding her arms, walking from one side to the other with clear impatience. Outside the infirmary were Rei and Hirano accompanying her, who were leaning against a wall.
Hirano stopped looking at saya to look at Saeko. Thanks to the double doors being open he could see how she was sitting in the hallway while looking out the window. Her shattered gaze was focused on the rooftop as it was visible from that position.
"She's been like this for 5 minutes now..." Hirano thought, closing his eyes sadly.
"¿How long is it going to take?" Saya showed her impatience as she paused.
"It's not like you can wake up immediately after getting your arm cut off..." Rei commented quietly as she looked away.
The atmosphere was extremely heavy and negative. Even Shizuka; who was inside the infirmary collecting certain medicines that would be important; could feel that.
"So..." Rei resumed speaking. "¿Takashi cut off his arm so he wouldn't become one of them?"
"That's right, and that's why you should be thankful that Saeko brought her katana, otherwise Hisashi would be dead without a doubt." Saya stated with a frown.
Rei just looked at Saeko, who was still staring at the rooftop with that shattered and melancholy look on her face. That made her click her tongue under her breath, and then she made a rather sad expression.
"I would have at least liked to thank him..." Rei's comment made Saeko's teeth clench.
Rei was startled when Saeko's deadly eyes locked with hers. But unlike before, all she did this time was to close the double door tightly to have some privacy.
She didn't want to listen to that woman's hypocrisy anymore.
"Hum, I understand..." Hirano was the first to snap out of the stupor caused by Saeko's reaction.
"Phew..." Saya sighed, then fixed her gaze on the other double door. "They're not the only ones. It would cause me a lot of excitement too to see that fool walk through those doors with that annoying idiot grin on his face..." Saya commented with a very forced smile.
But as if God had heard their prayers, the door slowly opened.
They were initially on guard as a zombie appeared there.
"I knew it, it was too good to be true." Saya whispered, but soon they were all surprised to see the zombie just fall to the ground without further ado.
Probably the back of its head being open was the cause of it.
Before anyone could wonder what was going on, the door finished opening and this time they could do nothing but widen their eyes like saucers.
Takashi took a couple of steps and was also astonished to see them, though he clearly wasn't as astonished as they were.
"¿Ta-Takashi...?" Hirano couldn't believe what he was seeing, so his voice was barely audible.
"Oh, you guys are here too." Takashi commented excitedly, but he made sure to control his voice so as not to draw the attention of the surrounding zombies.
"¡Takashi!" Rei didn't seem to mind the silence much.
The woman didn't hesitate to throw herself into his arms while crying non-stop, something that surprised the protagonist.
"Come on, it's not that big of a deal..." Takashi patted her head a couple of times to calm her down, as if she was a child.
"¿But what are you saying? I was sure you died." Rei commented between sobs, who didn't hesitate to hug him tighter.
"To be honest, I was too." Takashi commented with a smile. "¿How is Hisashi?"
"Shizuka-san took care of him." Hirano approached Takashi, the attempt he was making to hold back the crying made him look quite funny. "¿Is it really you, Takashi?" asked the chubby man with a loose snot.
"Well, I don't think there's another one who looks like me at the academy..." Takashi rubbed his bloody hair while keeping an idiotic grin on his face.
"There's that smile..." Saya's comment made Takashi look at her. "Don't even think I'm going to give you a hug looking like that, you fool." The dwarf's words were harsh, but her beaming smile implied that she was very happy.
"¡Oh, that's right! ¡You suck!" Rei broke off, though it hadn't exactly been about the smell or the blood.
You just needed to see the huge blush on her face. Apparently she finally realized she was hugging him too much.
"So, if you guys are here..." Takashi looked at everyone.
"¿Where's Saeko?"
Rei returned to the reality she herself had constructed between them after hearing that name.
"Oh, she's behind this door." Saya pointed over her back. "She thinks you're dead too, so you'd better comfort her properly." Saya's impish little smile was overlooked by Takashi, who didn't understand what she was referring to.
"Okay." The protagonist nodded innocently, not seeing how Rei clenched her fists as Takashi went to comfort that woman.
She was supposed to be the only one for him.
That home-wrecking cat was supposed to be going to America.
"¿Why did all this have to happen?" Rei thought with clear annoyance.
Saeko heard the doors open, but didn't even deign to turn her face away.
"Leave me alone." Saeko's broken voice echoed through the corpse-covered corridors.
She was still kneeling, her gaze focused on the rooftop, despite the blood on the glass blocking much of the view.
"¿You did all this?"
Saeko's eyes widened to unthinkable levels.
It was impossible for her not to recognize that voice.
Her eyes regained almost all of their sparkle after that thought.
Still, she didn't dare to turn her gaze away.
Her body reacted unconsciously when she felt a hand resting on her head.
The affection and warmth of each touch was something else that was impossible for her to forget.
Her body began to tremble as her face slowly turned. Her eyes widened even more and her lips pursed as never before as she saw who was standing in front of her.
"It's good to see you." Takashi being Takashi, he couldn't think of anything else to say to her.
Not that he needed it either.
All Saeko needed was to see him...
Was to be with him...
Was to feel him...
...
...
...
Just like she was doing right now.
Saeko's eyes were covered with tears, making Takashi shocked.
Takashi opened his mouth to try to speak, but Saeko wouldn't let him. A small gasp combined with a sob emerged from the woman's lips as she hugged him without warning, leaving a slight trail of her tears from the quick movement. But it didn't stop there, as Saeko's hands clutched onto his back as if her life depended on it, and the loud cry that fell on her shoulders rendered him completely immobile.
Takashi just stood there, completely disbelieving.
Saeko held on even tighter as she cried non-stop. Her cries were like desperate screams, but she didn't care.
She just wanted to get even.
She just wanted to hug him.
She just wanted to make sure this wasn't a dream.
Takashi finally reacted, so he responded to the hug with a lot of affection, something that made her cry even harder.
"Sorry for worrying you."
_ LINE BREAK _
Fujimi Academy
A few minutes passed after that, in which Takashi didn't separate at any time from Saeko, who was now no longer crying, but still didn't want to separate. Rei had the intention to separate them on her own, but Saya denied her by telling her to have some tact, something that upset her even more.
"¿Are you feeling better now?" Takashi whispered in her ear, receiving a slight nod in response.
"I thought-I thought that..." Saeko clung to Takashi tightly again, something that brought out a smile on the boy's face.
"¿Don't you remember?" Takashi pulled her apart a little with the intention of looking into her eyes.
"I promised you."
Saeko's teary eyes widened a little after hearing him.
"I promised you that I would never leave your side."
This time it wasn't tears.
Saeko felt her body burning.
But unlike before, it didn't hurt.
It didn't make her despair.
It didn't make her sad.
It was that burning that made her feel so good...
But now...
Now it felt so strong it was unbearable...
Yes, this time it wasn't tears...
Saeko's eyes sparkled like never before as a huge blush covered her cheeks, something Takashi didn't miss.
"¿Are you okay?" Saeko responded in her own way as she hugged him tightly again, causing him to fall butt-first to the ground. "¡Whoa, whoa, relax, I'm not going anywhere!" Takashi exclaimed with a giggle as he hugged her back.
They both fell into another really comfortable silence, feeling each other's warmth.
That warmth that they loved so much...
But, this time, that moment didn't last long.
"Come to think of it..." Takashi stood up together with Saeko. "What we're experiencing is like something out of a manga about a zombie apocalypse." Even though they were no longer hugging, Saeko refused to let go of Takashi's hands.
"Now that you mention it, you're kind of right..." They both fixed their gaze on the window, watching how the whole city had gone to hell.
"Heh..." Takashi's laughter caught Saeko's attention.
"¿What are you laughing at?" She asked in confusion.
"¿Remember the promise?"
"It's hard to forget, you always take it upon yourself to remind me of it."
"¿Huh? ¿Why do you sound upset?"
"¿Did I sound like that?"
"I could have sworn you did. Well, whatever..." Takashi's face became serious as he let go of Saeko's hands. "I just find it funny..." Takashi placed a hand on the bloodied glass.
"I find it funny that the promise to never fall in love again was broken in such a bizarre way."
Takashi looked serious as he surveyed the city, but he didn't count on Saeko's reaction.
As his back was turned, he couldn't look at her, but she had an expression she never had before in her life.
Her lips were half-open and her eyes were trembling like rarely before.
"Without that promise..." Suddenly, she felt all those repressed to the core begin to explode inside her.
They all commanded freedom.
They all commanded happiness.
Each and every last one of those repressed desires wanted Takashi so badly it made her chest ache.
But it was no longer enough to hold him close...
It was no longer enough to hold him...
It was no longer enough to caress him...
Now she wanted to say that she desired him madly.
She wanted to kiss him until she could tear his lips off.
She wanted...
She wanted to feel every inch of his naked body on hers.
Those pent-up desires were nothing more or less than her own feelings.
And those feelings...
Those feelings were finally free.
"Now that the promise is gone... Now..." Saeko felt her eyes water again as her thoughts went a mile a minute.
She didn't care how many people had died.
She didn't care that the world might be going through its end.
She didn't care about any of that.
"I can love you no problem now, ¿can't I?"
_ END OF CHAPTER! _
I hope you enjoyed it!
Sorry if there are any mistakes here and there, I just didn't have much time to correct the chapter properly. That's because I'm packing my bags to go on vacation. It won't be many days, and even though I'll be traveling I'll upload the chapter I have pending with the good Lucario. The only drawback is that the next chapter may be a little shorter than usual, but I'll try not to make that the case.
In the next chapter will come one of the most awaited moments: the confession.
I'm anxious to write that part, because I have quite a romantic scenario in mind (under what can be done in an apocalypse, of course).
With nothing more to add, it's time to say goodbye.
See you in three days!
